Microforms Collections in F.W. Crumb Library

A project of University Microfilms International to microfilm a collection of material identified in Pollard and Redgrave's Short Title Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland, and Ireland and of English Books Printed Abroad, 1475-1640.  The collection consists of an initial shipment (Shipment 1) of 4 reels. Subsequently, reels numbered 1-1805 were issued. This collection is often referred to as STC or STC1.

The collection contains almost all books published in Britain during those years. Included are the earliest editions of such classics as Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, original versions of royal statutes and proclamations, military, religious, legal, parliamentary, and other public documents, numerous early English ballads and carols, and sermons, homilies, and the Book of Common Prayer. 

The Short Title Catalog produced by A.W. Pollard and G.R. Redgrave covers 1475-1640 is available in the Crumb Reference collection at REF Z2002 .P77 1976 vol. 1-3.  The catalog is arranged alphabetically by author and each entry is given an accession number.

The microfilmed documents were released beginning in 1938 with four reels called "Shipment 1".  These were followed in subsequent units with reels sequentially numbered from 1 to 1805.  All of the reels are housed at the beginning of our microfilm collection as AC1 (Shipment 1, reels 1-4)) and then AC2 (reels 1-1805).

The reels were released in "units" and there is a listing of each reel's contents by unit on top of the microfilm cabinets.  The reels are NOT, however, in chronological or alphabetical order by author or title.

SEE "Finding your document" BELOW!

The British Library has produced an online index to the English Short Title Catalog (ESTC) This catalog includes entries from Pollard and Redgrave's Catalog for 1475-1640 (STC1) as well as the follow up catalog created by Donald Wing covering 1641-1700 (STC2) and other catalogs of documents up to 1800.

The online index to ESTC offers an advanced search and the entries include, in the "surrogates" field, the Early English Books microfilm reel and position number for the document.

OR:

Use the print Short Title Catalog to identify a resource and the Cross-Index to reels at REF Z2002 .P77 1988 to identify which reel of microfilm includes the STC entry.  The specific unit guide can give you a location of the entry on the reel.

Again, as many of these books are now in the public domain, you may find them available through HathiTrust or simply by searching the Internet.